12th Century Medieval Abbey

Medieval religion is an intrinsic part of our history and heritage and the architecture that resulted - from churches to abbeys, priories and cathedrals - still inspires us today, even if in ruins.

The ruins of what was once a wonderful, medieval Cistercian Abbey .... this photograph was taken on the Ile de Ré, a beautiful island off the coast of La Rochelle, France.

The "Abbaye de Notre-Dame-de-Ré Les Chateliers" was founded in 1156. It was built on what at the time was a very strategic location, close to the largest docking point on the island. Described as a 'large gothic church', the Abbey flourished into the 13th and 14th centuries until devastation from the Hundred Years War took its toll. This led to structural changes and improvements in the 15th century. The ruins we see today are therefore a mixture of 12th, 13th and 15th century French medieval architecture.

It makes for fascinating study when compared to medieval abbeys in England such as Hexham Abbey (refounded as an Augustinian priory in the early 12th century).

Medieval France - Castles, Churches & Abbeys

This Medieval Castle Blog focuses, for the most part, on British medieval history - from haunted castles in England such as Carlisle Castle for example through to British medieval kings and queens and more.

British medieval history, however, would not be so fascinating if it were not for the Norman Conquest of 1066 and the ensuing centuries of links with France. Medieval France is, therefore, a very relevant subject to study if we are to understand British medieval history in depth.

In recent blog posts, we have started to cover medieval France - eg. the medieval garden at Bazoges-en-Pareds and the haunted Tiffauges castle - and we intend to do so even more. We some stunning photographs and video from a recent trip to France where we visited numerous medieval castles, churches, abbeys, priories and cathedrals.

Here is a photograph we took of a 13th century medieval priory in St Prouant (Vendee). Known as the Prieure de Grammont it was founded by none other than Richard The Lionheart (great uncle to King Edward I) and is today one of the best preserved medieval monasteries in all France.

A Medieval Abbey In Scotland

On the way back from visiting Threave Castle in Scotland last year, we came across the most wonderful abbey ruins - Sweetheart Abbey.

Founded in 1275, the Abbey has a fascinating history. Although there are only ruins to see today, it feels a very special place. When we visited we were lucky to arrive just as the sun was setting. The Abbey ruins glowed in the sunlight with the stone taking on a luminescent glow. This is one of the photographs that we took which I just had to share with our castle blog readers.

Medieval Abbeys are a vast subject in themselves and one we hope to cover more in future posts.